Best Interviews of 2018 on How I Work
This year in How I Work magazine, we surveyed over 50 developers, designers, writers, podcasters, actors, and other successful people in business, nonprofit, technology, arts and entertainment to discuss their work habits and career progression. Each one is excellent – we reach out to our loved ones and go through hundreds of entries a year to select our guests – but these are some of the best profiles of the year and some of their best quotes.
Boomerang founders Alex Moore, Ay Moa, and Mike Chin
Alex: We set aside Wednesday noon as the “creative time” for the whole company. We do not hold meetings and disable chat / instant messaging, so we can work on projects that require constant attention. I often have to write code.
Reduce editors Beth Newell and Sarah Pappalardo
Beth: I work from home towards the end of the week due to my work schedule and childcare. I use my days off work to try to step back and look at things in general and work on our side projects that require too much attention when I’m sitting in a room with a few other people.
Zyxx Team Mission
Mujan: As for Barji, I go on every entry with the goal of further developing her character (she’s fighting to be a sane spaceship actress) and making sure we learn about her through her relationships with the other characters on the show. … But most of the time, I like to challenge the group by just throwing unexpected lines or movements because I know they will nicely reinforce it and justify it so that it makes sense in this world.
Dots and Two Dots creator Patrick Moberg
Scott’s Pizza Tours founder Scott Weiner
When we visit a pizzeria, the idea is to understand this particular style. There are almost rules that define the meaning of this style. It is a certain size, texture, distribution of cheese, baking time, charcoal pattern.
Song Exploder Host Hrishikesh Hirvey
When it seems to me that we are pretty close, I go through a Pro Tools session and do the final cuts and do the final mixing – the most finicky things that are too difficult to convey to another person, because what I hear is very subjective: changing the length of the pause into beats seconds, changing the shape of the decay of music, etc.
Hiding In The Bathroom By Morra Aarons-Mel
I carry sneakers with me everywhere. Because I think best when I’m alone, walking, and since exercise times can be difficult, I try to walk whenever I can: waiting to meet my child, getting stuck at the airport, or getting to my destination. and from meetings in a new city.
The Nod Hosts Brittany Luze and Eric Eddings
Brittany: I realized that when I have tight deadlines, it’s better to just build on them. I just agree that late weeks are weeks where I eat a little more outside the house, take a taxi, and skip the gym. I used to be afraid to get out of my routine, but now I just accept it. My hair may be a little damaged for a few days, but I will not miss this period.
Salty Road Taffy founder Marisa Wu
We have different recipes for every taste, which is annoying, but that’s what sets us apart. If we make vanilla, we scrape off the vanilla beans and put the pod and toffee beans in the kettle and it is cooked on our base.
When we hold meetings, many people like to come to the plant and see how the process is going, which is always a pleasure for us.
Daring Costume Designer David Raymond
[Playing] at Philly Phanatic taught me that fun isn’t just fooling around; fun is not just a vacation. Entertainment is truly a tool you can use every day to make yourself happier, healthier, and more productive.
I love doing things presenter Bob Cladgett
The challenges when working from home are mostly about keeping up with the task. For example, while I work, I will look around the house and see any improvements to the house that need to be done. I have to fight the urge to stop filming video and tackle this task.
Writer Ausma Zehanat Khan
I write two books a year, so my process is very stressful. I have to write a lot every day and I have to be completely focused. Sometimes, when things are going well, I forget to get up, take a walk, take breaks, eat, but honestly, I prefer not to work that way. One day they will just find my shadow in my chair.
Overwatch and We Are Alive: Frontier Actor Anjali Bhimani
Although I am a very optimistic person, I find that I have to go through a certain struggle or even pain when I prepare for a role or audition. For example, for Stingray’s role in We’re Alive: The Frontier – which is actually a live-action improvisation where the suggestions come from the master of the game and the dice rather than the audience – I found that I almost needed to make the task more difficult than I thought. they were in order to gain access to the part of me that is fighting for what it wants. I had to put in more of the struggle and pain of what was going on than just playing the “game,” and my fellow filmmakers are investing so much that it’s a great environment to dive into.
Check out the How I Work archives for more information. Lifehacker publishes a new interview “How I Work” every Wednesday.